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Thera 2.39: Usabha
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(159):Usabha Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter II. Two Verses =159. Usabha= Reborn in this Buddha-age at Kapilavatthu in the family of a Sākiyan (king)rāja, he was named Usabha. And when the Lord(Buddha) visited his own folk,1 Usabha saw his power and wibdom, believed in him, and entered the Monk’s order. From that time he fulfilled no religious duties, but passed all day in society and all night in sleep. Now one day, muddled in mind and unheedingly dropping off to sleep, he dreamt that he shaved, put on a crimson dress, and, sitting on an elephant, entered the town for alms. There, seeing the people gathered together, he dismounted full of shame. Upon that he awoke thinking: 'Why, this was a dream! Muddled in head and thoughtless I saw myself in sleep.' And with anguish he established insight, and in due course won arahantship(enlightenment). Thus having made the dream his goad, he celebrated it to confess aññā(supreme attainment), saying: ---- 197 Ambapallava saŋkāsaɱ aɱse katvāna cīvaraɱ,|| Nisinno hatthi gīvāya gāmaɱ piṇḍāya pāvisiɱ.|| || 198 Hatthikkhandhato oruyha saɱvegaɱ alabhiɱ tadā,|| Sohaɱ ditto tadā santo patto me āsavakkhayo' ti.|| || ---- 197 A dress the hue of purple mango-buds Draping about my shoulder, I bestrode The back of elephant, and so to seek Mine alms into the village street I rode. 198 146 Down from his back very shame I slid - lo! I woke and anguish seized me then. This arrogant self was then made meek and mild, Cleaned were the poisons my mind defiled.2 ---- 1 Cf. CCXXXIII. 2 Another instance where the legend straightens out the tangle of the gāthā taken in isolation. What, e.g., had the elephant rider to do with 'to seek mine alms'? Dr. Neumann has been compelled to excise the phrase. As the anomaly of a dream, the little poem is quite clear. 'Then ... then' is a repetition copied from the text. ---- =2.4-9 159 Commentary on the stanza of Usabhatthera= The stanza starting with Ambapallavasaṅkāsaṃ constitutes that of the venerable Thera Usabna. What is the origin? This one also, having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, performing acts of merit in this and that existence, was reborn in a family home at the time of the Blessed One Sikhi; on having attained the age of intelligence, he happened to have seen, one day, the Master, wandering about for alms-food became pious-minded and offered Kosamba fruit (to Him). On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirhts among divine and human beings, and was reborn in the royal family of the Sākiyans at Kapilavatthu when this Buddha arose; having gained the name Usabha and come of age, he happened to have noticed the power of Buddha at the coming together of the relatives of the Master, aptly gained pious faith and became a monk, he did not do his monk’s duties (dhamma) and spent his time enjoying in society (saṅgaṇikārāmo) by day and sleeping the whole night. One day, on falling off to sleep unawares (muṭṭhasati) without thoughtfulness (asampajāno) he saw himself in his dream as having descended from the back of an elephant shamefully on having seen man well arrived there, where even, he had entered the city for alms-food having seated himself on the neck of an elephant, after wearing his upper robe of the colour of mango-sprout, having shaved off his hair and beard, aptly became enlightened (paṭibuddho), saying to himself; “Such a dream as this has been seen by me by sleeping unawares and without being thoughtful,” got remorse striken, placed himself in the path of developing spiritual insight and attained arahtship but before long. Hence has it been said in the Apadāna.-- “Resembling regalia unfolding its splendour (kakudhaṃ vilasantaṃ) was the divine of the divine (deva- devaṃ) and bull among men. I offered then Kosamba fruit to Him when He entered upon the chariot road. It was thirty one aeons ago, that I then offered the fruit; I do not remember any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of my making the fruit offering. My depravity had been burnt. … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out. Then, the Thera, having made the dream, according as he had seen, as (his) goad (aṅkusa), spoke two stanzas, in order to reveal his Arahantship (aññā), by way of announcing that self-same dream even, because of it’s being the cause of his attainment of Arahantsip:– 197. Having worn (katvāna) my robe, resembling a mango sprout on my shoulder, I entered the village for alms-food, seated on the neck of an elephant. 198. Having descended from the back of the elephant, I then gained remorse. That I then, (though) having been proud (ditto), the canker-free Arahantship had been attained by me. There, ambapallavasaṅkāsaṃ, aṃse katvā cīvaraṃ means: having made an upper-robe of, after wearing (karitvā) on my body (khandhe) my coral coloured robe which had the characteristic (ākāra) of a mango sprout (ambapallava). Gāmaṃ means: his own kingdom; hatthigīvāyaṃ nisinno piṇḍāya pāvisiṃ means: seated on the back (khandhe) of an elephant, I entered for alms: hathikkhandhato oruyha means: even at the very moment I had entered (the village), I was being looked at by multitude of men, (and so I) descended from the back of the elephant, stood myself up and became aptly woke up from sleep (paṭibojjhiṃ); saṃvegaṃ alabhiṃ tadā means: as soon as I woke up (pabuddho va), I then gained remorse thus: “This has happened owing to my falling off to sleep unawares and without being thoughtful.” Other scholars, however, assert thus: “Having but become king, dreamt such a dream as this in the portion of the night, mounted on the back of his elephant at dawn, remembered his dream as he wandered about the streets of his city, descended from the back of his elephant, gained remorse, became a monk in the presence of the Master, attained Arahantship and recited these stanzas, solemnly making his joyous utterance (udāna). Ditto means: I did not gain remorse because I was all round arrogant over my intoxication with parentage and my being conceited with wealth and so on; thus, is the interpretation. The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Usabha is complete. ----